{"id":16093,"date":"2026-06-06T20:11:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T17:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/v-vlastelinah-vselennoj-hi-men-preobrazhaetsya-pryamo-iz-anime\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T12:16:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T09:16:57","slug":"in-lord-of-the-universe-hi-men-is-transformed-straight-from-the-anime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/v-vlastelinah-vselennoj-hi-men-preobrazhaetsya-pryamo-iz-anime\/","title":{"rendered":"In Masters of the Universe, He-Man gets a makeover straight out of the anime."},"content":{"rendered":"

Attention,<\/em> spoiler<\/em><\/strong> to Grayskull! Don't watch if you haven't seen Masters of the Universe yet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe may be a bit heavy on Marvel-style jokes, but that doesn't stop this reboot of the 1980s animated series from being a captivating adventure. Unlike, say, the live-action G.I. Joe films, this film isn't shy about its Saturday morning cartoon roots. It doesn't strive for a realistic tone or dull the vibrancy or individuality of its characters.<\/p>\n

In fact, it's quite the opposite. As demonstrated by the witty in-canon explanation for the franchise's ridiculous character names, Masters of the Universe acknowledges the inherent absurdity of the He-Man universe while still taking it seriously. Moreover, the film appeals to the nostalgia of those familiar with the '80s series and allows younger generations to appreciate the world of Eternia\u2014a sci-fi fantasy realm where everything from talking green tigers to guys with skulls for faces exists.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, given that Knight is one of the heads of the renowned stop-motion animation studio Laika, some of Masters of the Universe's best moments are reminiscent of classic animated films. For example, the film's fight scenes speed up and then slow down to make Prince Adam's (Nicholas Galitzine) displays of power more visually striking, reminiscent of the brawl between two superhumans in Dragon Ball Z. Similarly, when Adam first transforms into He-Man while protecting his allies Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba) and Teela (Camila Mendes) from the villain Trap-Joe (Sam S. Wilson), he effectively transforms into a magical girl, just like in the transformation scenes in Sailor Man.<\/p>\n

Let me explain.<\/p>\n

Read also: The Lord of the Rings: What Happened to Each Main Character After The Return of the King\u00ab<\/p>\n

\u00abHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a cartoon about magical girls. <\/h2>\n

Prince Adam lifts the Sword of Power at Castle Grayskull in Masters of the Universe - Amazon MGM Studios<\/p>\n

The magical girl anime genre has been around since the 1960s, beginning with series like Sally the Witch (inspired by Enchanted). The plot centers on young girls with magical powers, which they typically use through alter egos that only they can transform into. Today, of course, the genre is mostly associated with Sailor Moon, which took this concept, combined it with elements of superhero tokusatsu series, and made its magical girl protagonist a superheroine. Previously, the genre was primarily a comedy, but in Sailor Moon, magical girls possessed not only magic but also power. This is why Sailor Moon remains relevant to this day.<\/p>\n

So what does this have to do with He-Man? The Masters of the Universe franchise has always featured anime about magical girls. Like Sailor Moon protagonist Usagi Tsukino (aka Serena), She-Ra from Masters of the Universe has an alter ego she uses to fight evil. Similarly, by uttering their activation phrases, the pair transform, gaining new uniforms and weapons, all while enjoying cool music. Furthermore, it's entirely possible that the 1980s animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power inspired the original Sailor Moon, which in turn inspired N.D. Stevenson to develop the acclaimed Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (as Stevenson wrote in a 2020 article for Vulture).<\/p>\n

The point is: if She-Ra can technically be a magical girl, why can't He-Man? At least, that's the question Travis Knight seems to be asking in Masters of the Universe. After all, He-Man already uses the phrase to activate his transformation into his alter ego. ("By the power of Grayskull" isn't so different from "By the power of the Moon Prism, create," is it?)<\/p>\n

Prince Adam's transformation is the best part of Masters of the Universe. <\/h2>\n

Prince Adam transforms into He-Man using Grayskull's power in 'Masters of the Universe' - Amazon MGM Studios<\/p>\n

In the episode "Masters of the Universe," when Adam transforms into his superpowered alter ego, time seems to stand still. Like Sailor Moon, the prince floats in mid-air, his clothes disappear (and his most intimate parts are covered in light), the camera spins around him, and parts of his uniform begin to materialize out of nowhere, complete with vibrant lighting effects.<\/p>\n

Naturally, the He-Man character has had a transformation sequence for decades, but for the most part, it's been a visually static process. Adam speaks the words, the camera freezes, and he instantly transforms into He-Man without any movement. Essentially, he simply changes clothes, while his animal companion, Cringer, actually grows in size thanks to He-Man's powers.<\/p>\n

In other words: the way the camera pans while Adam's clothes magically disappear and then reappear in Masters of the Universe isn't a reference to the franchise's history. Rather, it's reminiscent of decades of magical girl anime and the way Sailor Moon handles transformation scenes. And make no mistake, this simple trick is the coolest thing about Masters of the Universe. It's a visually stunning moment that demonstrates how He-Man has always had a lot in common with magical girl anime, while also allowing Nicholas Galitzine to show off his muscles in close-up. And if you're still unsure about the similarities between He-Man and Sailor Moon, remember that in the film, Adam is a bumbling loser on Earth, just as Usagi is often called a crybaby in Sailor Moon.<\/p>\n

The movie "Masters of the Universe" is now showing in cinemas.<\/p>\n

If you're looking for the easiest way to stay up-to-date on all the top film and TV news, why not subscribe to our free newsletter? You can also add us to your list of preferred search sources in Google.<\/p>\n

Read the original article on SlashFilm.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spoiler alert for "Grayskull"! Don't watch if you haven't seen "Masters of the Universe." Travis Knight's "Masters of the Universe" may be a bit heavy on Marvel-style jokes,\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kinoindustriya","hvn-theme-has-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16093"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159497,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16093\/revisions\/159497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}